DAMAZU Studio, Home of Storied Objects and Creative Collaboration
DAMAZU Studio is a magical treasure trove of ceramics, photography and other beautiful objects for daily living, now open by appointment on Salt Spring. Husband and wife duo David and Zuzana Marchandise have reflected their many years of traveling and world experience into their new purpose-built, mixed-use studio space in the South end.
When you pull onto the property, it feels as though this barn-like building has always been here, which is just the way David and Zuzana intended it to be. “We started to dream up a studio space that could be a multidisciplinary cocoon for the various expressions that we've desired to exercise and put out into the world,” Zuzana explained. “We were looking all over the world where to live, eventually settled on Salt Spring, and found this beautiful land. We had to be respectful of the aesthetic of the landscape and the language that exists already, here in the Pacific Northwest.”
Built partially with wood milled from the property, the design of the studio (which David and Zuzana designed themselves) is a holistic blend of modern industrial styled with rustic Old World artifacts. You do get the sense that you are walking into a narrative landscape upon entering, each item holding a story ready for the telling. Many of the elements within the space are reclaimed: the windows that separate the showroom from the studio were from Brooklyn factory that was being demolished; the windows in the photography studio, from a tower in Seattle that was being gutted; the lights, from an old factory in Montreal; the live edge shelving from a maple tree on their land. It was important for the artists to choose storied objects with a history, and indeed, you could easily spend an hour or more here learning about various items and their origins.
After years of traveling and looking for the right place to set up their home and studio, David and Zuzana are excited to settle in to this new space and get back to work, exploring a wide swath of creative pursuits. Aside from working his hands through clay, David is also a painter. He referred to some small sheets of paper tacked on the wall in the painting studio, brightly watercoloured, noting the small scale was the best he could do while working on the road. David expressed his excitement for having a studio space again after all these years, eager to unpack more of his supplies that he had shipped from Europe.
Zuzana is a filmmaker, photographer, and mixed-media artist who aptly calls herself a “mixologist,” and instills a sense of poetic influence into the work she produces. She also spoke of using this time to get back to the basics of creation: “I like hopping from one expression to another and finding how they go through an alchemy, and create an expression of who I am. Finding harmony.”
In their shared DAMAZU realm, the combined energy for the future was palpable. Now that David and Zuzana have built the studio of their dreams, it’s time to get back to creating. Watch for a pastiche of offerings, from beautiful pottery to ceramic lights and lamps, from housewares for everyday use to design objects for the spaces you love. “This coming year,” says Zuzana, “I'm looking forward to the fresh energy that's emerging and how DAMAZU Studio can be that authentic tentacle of creativity in the fabric of life. How can we express ourselves in ways that bring beauty, meaningful beauty, to others, and into our lives as well?”
This is the primary notion that you leave DAMAZU Studio with: that you have come to experience this special place and the people who have created it. The intention is not just to stop by to pick up a mug or a print, “we want people to come in and feel like they’re experiencing something magical,” says Zuzana. “Feel good, inspired by the landscape and the feeling of being on this farm.” So each time you drink from David’s cup or cast your gaze on one of Zuzana’s photographs, you can pause to recall the time you spent at this place, harvesting a sliver of that magic to take home with you.
David and Zuzana have not only opened up a showroom for their art, they have opened up a realm of possibility for creation - and those reclaimed windows from the Brooklyn factory offer a powerful glimpse into the magic they’re making together.
Saltine: A Salt Spring Zine, December 17, 2020 (Images by Brette Little)